If there is a line for tact in comedy, Jim Norton, Keith Robinson and Robert Kelly have stepped over it. The three regulars of ‘Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn’ aren’t afraid to tackle topics other comics wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole, from the war in Iraq to gay rights to ‘retarded people.’ Norton, Robinson and Kelly appeared in the Schine Underground Saturday night and spoke after the show about how society views their style of humor.

‘I get a lot of bad reactions from people trying to make a stand on something,’ Norton said. ‘It seems like they don’t like anything deemed un-P.C. It’s usually from white people, because they believe their superiority complex will show through if they laugh.’

‘Society has become so sensitive to everything that you can barely have an opinion,’ Robinson said. ‘I want to do what I feel, my opinion, my essence. I want people to know about me through my comedy. I want to be remembered for something.’

Robinson said the best comedy comes from real life. In that case, the material is closer to the comic, which helps him or her to explain the situation. He said 95 percent of his material is drawn from his personal experiences.

‘A lot of my stuff happened to me,’ Norton said. ‘Sometimes the words are exaggerated, but I try to be as true to the truth as I can.’

Norton said a lot of people have problems with his comedy because of its deviation from socially acceptable standards. He said a joke should be judged not on its content, but on its comedic value.

‘You’re supposed to say things you think,’ Kelly said. ‘I can do dirty, PG-13, and I’ve done crystal clean in front of four nuns. It just depends on the crowd and on the time.’

Norton mentioned Comedy Central’s ‘100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time’ list and said he felt the list was biased against one of his greatest influences, Andrew ‘Dice’ Clay, because the comic was not afraid to take chances.

‘Dice was only number 95, what does that tell you?’ Norton said. ‘He should have been in the top 30. He’s sold out arenas. Dice saw men’s true intentions. Steve Martin never said anything real about social issues, but he’s number six.’

‘I could give the stereotypical (influences) answer and say Pryor, Cosby, Carlin, Murphy and Bill Hicks,’ Kelly said. ‘But the people who inspire me on a daily basis are my friends. Watching Jim and Keith up there tonight and seeing them six years ago, the difference is amazing. I see them grow, and it makes me want to grow.’

Norton’s future plans include going back to radio with the ‘Opie and Anthony Show’ as well as continuing with ‘Tough Crowd.’ Robinson is currently working with Comedy Central on a half-hour special to be aired in July. He wants to make more movies and possibly star in his own sitcom.

But as they work toward their comedic goals, all three performers will continue to do comedy in their own ways.

‘My job as a comic isn’t to be a tap-dancing monkey,’ Norton said. ‘I’m supposed to be commenting. Condoleezza Rice has to be correct. I don’t.’

‘You can’t judge a comic, because comedy is personal,’ Kelly said. ‘It’s about perspective. You might not like me, but there’s 100 people out there in the audience who do. I’m doing it for them.’

Published on April 18, 2004 at 12:00 pm